Shen Xiao was still enjoying the moment of Lu Qingyue leaning against his shoulder when a group of bald men began noisily ordering drinks.
One of them, a man with a head polished so shiny it reflected the shop's lights.
Target detected.
Distance around 3 meters.
"System, I want to work hard, but the enemy just comes and offers their neck," Shen Xiao thought with a lazy sigh.
He glanced at Qingyue, who began blinking her eyes, awakened by the sound of their coarse laughter.
The moment Qingyue's eyes opened and she realized her face was only a few centimeters away from Shen Xiao's chest, she immediately sat bolt upright, her face turning as red as a boiled crab.
"S-sorry! I fell asleep!" Qingyue whispered in a panic.
Inside the bustling boba shop, about seven or eight people sat in a group not far from Shen Xiao's table.
Shen Xiao, who was naturally lazy when it came to dealing with crowds, didn't bother checking their strength in depth.
He even ignored several sweeps of foreign spiritual senses attempting to peek at his cultivation level.
Rank two... Shen Xiao guessed to himself.
Judging by their seating positions, that man wasn't even the leader, his status was merely average within the group.
Their faces all looked incredibly serious, indicating they weren't gathered just for casual chatter.
Their voices were intentionally lowered until they were almost inaudible from where Shen Xiao sat.
They were people from the Ability Association.
Usually, the Association would only hand off "easy" missions to universities, while more difficult, dangerous missions involving many personnel were handled by themselves.
The higher the difficulty, the more people were deployed.
Because they seemed very cautious about being overheard, Shen Xiao decided not to eavesdrop any further.
He had absolutely no interest in getting involved in their affairs, let alone getting trapped in a large-scale battle that might involve high-level practitioners like them.
Soon after, the group left.
Once they stepped outside the shop, one of the women in the group glanced toward the glass window.
"That young man at the next table kept staring at us. Did he hear something?" the woman whispered with a wary tone.
"It doesn't matter," the leader replied nonchalantly.
"I've already checked his strength. He's only a rank-one practitioner. With my power at rank two, I could pin him down with one hand. At most, they're just a young couple on a date. Yuqiang, forget about it. How is the progress of our search? When can we get results?"
"We are investigating it. We've obtained a lead about the person who found the box. By tomorrow morning, we should know the exact location," the man named Yuqiang replied as they disappeared into the crowded street.
...
After spending time equivalent to two cups of boba, the figure they had been waiting for finally showed himself.
The man suspected to be the target stepped out of the shopping center carrying several large shopping bags. He tied the items to his motorcycle and then sped away hurriedly.
"That's not him, Shen Xiao," Lu Qingyue whispered, her voice full of disappointment after she observed the man closely.
"His height and build don't match Guo Sheng's description at all. It seems we have the wrong target."
Shen Xiao didn't look panicked.
He leaned back in his chair leisurely.
"Qingyue, if you were a fugitive, would you be stupid enough to wander around a shopping center full of surveillance cameras?"
Qingyue fell silent, then shook her head slowly.
"Exactly. If he were stupid, he would have been caught long ago. That man was just a lackey he used to buy food and drink supplies. We don't have the wrong person; we just have to follow this 'tail' to his real hideout."
Since he had already attached a mini-tracker, they didn't need to follow too closely. After waiting for a moment to avoid triggering suspicion, Shen Xiao prompted Qingyue to set off.
...
The journey led them to Qingshi Village, a remote village located quite far from the county center. To avoid suspicion, they took a taxi to the outskirts of the village and continued on foot.
Based on the location point on the tracker, they arrived at an old house.
Shen Xiao led Qingyue to circle around and leap onto the roof of a nearby house to get a better vantage point.
Inside the house, through the window glass, a man could be seen sitting on a sofa.
Contrary to his assumptions about a fugitive living a hard life, the man wore a thick gold necklace and a gleaming luxury watch.
That's him, Guo Sheng, Shen Xiao thought.
His eyes fixed on that gold necklace.
It weighed at least 30 grams.
Not bad... if sold, it could fetch over 10,000 yuan.
He could share it with Qingyue so she wouldn't have to worry about living expenses for the rest of the month.
However, just as Shen Xiao was about to devise an attack plan, he felt the shoulder of the girl beside him trembling violently.
Lu Qingyue was lying prone on the roof, her body stiff and shaking.
Not because she was afraid of Guo Sheng, but because she had just realized she was terrified of heights.
Being on the slanting roof of a second story made her feel like her world was spinning, a sensation completely different from standing behind the window of a tall building.
"S... sorry, Shen Xiao. I'm being a bit of a burden," Qingyue whispered with a voice that was barely there.
Shen Xiao turned and smiled softly.
He didn't mock her, instead, he felt that Qingyue looked very human at this moment. "It's okay. Everyone has a first time. Once this assessment is over, I'll take you for 'special training' during the winter break. Your fear of heights will get much better after that."
Qingyue stared at Shen Xiao with round eyes still filled with fear, but also a sense of touched emotion. "Special training? Won't that take up your time?"
"Of course not. Just think of it as us going out to have fun," Shen Xiao replied lightheartedly.
"I'll take you across suspension bridges a few times, or we could try rock climbing."
Qingyue was stunned. Special training? Suspension bridges? Rock climbing? She felt Shen Xiao was so incredibly thoughtful.
Because she was afraid, Shen Xiao was choosing training spots equipped with full safety gear just so she could feel at ease.
"Thank you, Shen Xiao..."
Ding!
[Gained Lu Qingyue's favorability, Fate Ticket +100]
Hearing the sweet sound of the system, Shen Xiao's mood instantly brightened.
Becoming strong was actually very simple.
After this mission, he could keep spending time with the Empress, go to amusement parks, and continue harvesting gacha tickets.
As for "special training"?
To hell with training, the important thing was that they could have fun first!